Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli joined Salk & Holley on Wednesday, discussing a busy shakeup of his roster this offseason that most notably saw him trade former second overall pick Tyler Seguin to the Stars in a deal that brought Loui Eriksson to Boston.

Chiarelli said that though he had publicly questioned Seguin’s professionalism, he felt that he was a “good teammate.” Much was made of Seguin’s partying — a concern the team brought to his attention during the first round of the playoffs before hiring a guard to stand outside his hotel room to make sure he didn’t leave — but Chiarelli said Seguin’s off-ice issues weren’t major.

“He liked to be out,” Chiarelli said. “That doesn’t mean he was out drinking or out late. I know he was at times, but he liked to live life. I respect that.”

The issue, Chiarelli said, was that the Bruins ultimately couldn’t wait for Seguin to reach his potential with their best player’s prime years going by. Chiarelli admitted that with captainZdeno Chara (36 years old) not getting any younger, the team is in more of a win-now mode, which made swapping Seguin for the established Eriksson (27) more appealing.

“Not that we’re in a window — because hopefully this window will be added to and we’ll keep going and replenishing our players — but [Seguin’s] a natural center and a guy that we got out of a trade that brought good returns in Tyler and Dougie [Hamilton] and Jared Knight, but he was an elite player that was pushed down our lineup because of where we were as a team,” Chiarelli said. “If you can recall his first year, year and a half, he was. It was almost like he was too soon for his time on our team. That was part of it.”

Chiarelli said that he believes Seguin will be successful in Dallas, but he isn’t afraid that the B’s will regret the trade because of what they’re getting back in Eriksson.

“I have a good idea of what Tyler will become and I don’t worry about it. You’ve got to know what you’re getting and how that will help you win now. There’s a real good chance that Tyler becomes a star. When we traded Phil [Kessel] I said publicly that this guy’s at least a 35-goal-scorer, a 40-goal-scorer. We knew what we were trading, but it’s about what you’re getting back and how you can win with it.”

As for Nathan Horton’s decision not to re-sign with the Bruins, Chiarelli shared that the team’s intention was to bring Horton back. In years past, the GM had shared that he’d told players to test the market (Michael Ryder and Tomas Kaberle) prior to their departure, but Chiarelli long being on record of wanting Horton return seems to indicate that Horton’s decision to not even negotiate with the B’s was a personal one.

The offseason has seen the Bruins trade Seguin and Rich Peverley for Eriksson and three prospects, lose Horton, Andrew Ference and Anton Khudobin to free agency, not re-sign Jaromir Jagr and bring in Jarome Iginla and goaltender Chad Johnson via free agency. The team has also signed Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask to eight-year contracts. Asked if he felt the Bruins are better now than they were last season, Chiarelli said he did.

“I think we are,” he said. “We lose a little on the character and speed from the outset, but I thought we gained it back with Iginla and got more natural wingers. I think we’re a better team. If it’s a wash as far as the additions and subtractions, I think our team gets better because our core is getting older and stronger and better.”

Hockey Night in Canada legend Don Cherry joined Dennis & Callahan on Monday morning to talk about the Bruins’ trade of Tyler Seguin to the Stars.

Cherry remains high on Seguin, despite the Bruins losing patience with him.

“Something must have happened there to get rid of a kid like that,” Cherry said after reviewing Seguin’s statistics. “I’m sure he’s going to go to Dallas, he’s going to play center, and look out — I’m telling you, this kid is one step away from being a superstar. You’ll see next year. But hey, he got in the bad book somehow.

“You have to watch. The Bruins have a real image of being tough — tough to play against. Nineteen Canadians on the club, and every one of them are rough guys. ‘¦ So, they have to watch that they don’t lose that little grit. Because most teams are afraid to go in and play Boston.”

As for reports that Seguin was too immature off the ice, Cherry said he can understand how a 21-year-old would want to spend some time out on the town.

“Look, I don’t know what happened. But I’m just saying I know I’d go out, if I was 21 years old after a game I would go to a bar, too,” Cherry said, questioning why the off-ice issues became public.

Added Cherry: “If a guy can get me 30 goals on right wing, and he’s a natural center, and he’s a little problem off the ice, I wouldn’t mind that. I’d try to settle that out a little. ‘¦ Listen, the Bruins were in the finals. They did pretty good, so [Peter] Chiarelli must be doing something right. But you’re asking me my opinion, I would have never given up on a [21]-year-old kid that got 30 goals the year before playing in his wrong position.”

Claude Julien‘s New Jersey Devils had just defeated the Bruins, 3-1. Winners of four of their last five, with their stars finally healthy, the Devils stood second overall in the Eastern Conference with 102 points and appeared poised to make another extended postseason run.

“They are a good example of one of the best defensive teams in hockey,” Bruins coach Dave Lewis said during the postgame press conference. The defeat marked the eighth loss in the Bruins’ last nine games, and Boston was firmly entrenched in the basement of the Northeast Division.

The game was played on April 1, 2007. The next day, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello fired Julien. The biggest blemish for a coach in the National Hockey League is to lose his players. The loss of the coach’s job, naturally, soon follows. Speculation ran rampant that Julien had lost control of the players in the dressing room.

The reason for Julien’s dismissal in New Jersey, in Lamoriello’s eyes, was not complicated.

“I don’t think we’re at a point,” Lamoriello explained in 2007, “of being ready both mentally and [physically] to play the way that is necessary going into the playoffs.” Lamoriello, recognized as one of the finest executives in hockey since the day he arrived in East Rutherford in 1987, already had led to the Devils to three Stanley Cups. His words against Julien — a man whose life was completely intertwined with hockey — were condemning. He had lost his players.

A REBUILD IN BOSTON

Move ahead six years, and the Bruins, having just swept the extremely talented Penguins, huddled together to accept the Prince of Wales trophy. A collection of superstars, led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, were no match for Julien’s well-balanced team.

In the midst of the ensuing postgame celebration, Julien was asked what going to the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in three years meant to him. “What it means to us,” the polite Julien corrected, “it means a lot.”

While slowly silencing detractors, Julien has built a family on the ice in Boston. He is the longest-tenured Bruins coach since Milt Schmidt, who guided the Bruins from 1954 until 1961. Since his hire in 2007, Julien has won more playoff games (50) than any other coach except for Detroit’s Mike Babcock (51). Two more victories would have catapulted Julien atop that list, as well as captured another Stanley Cup for his Bruins. Yet the man born in Blind River, Ontario, does not care to hear about his success or tell you how much he knows about the game. He has no time to share anecdotes from his playing days. Even after a painful defeat at the hands of the Blackhawks, his narrow lens is focused entirely on the ice.

“Our team likes to deflect credit,” says Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli. “The humble roots of Claude and the team, it’s an important part of our makeup. It starts from the top and works its way down.”

With free agency set to begin on Friday, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli held a conference call with the media Wednesday. Here are some quick notes from the call:

– The Bruins plan on getting Tuukka Rask‘s deal done “in short order,” and likely before free agency opens. If a deal isn’t signed by the time free agency opens, Chiarelli will approach free agency with a “placeholder number” for Rask in mind cap-wise. Rask is restricted, so there isn’t much of a threat of losing the player, as Rask would have to sign an offer sheet and then have the B’s not match it for him to leave. The chances of that are very slim.

– With a strong core of defensemen under contract, the Bruins will not be looking to add to their back end. Their priority is finding right wings to replace Nathan Horton and Jaromir Jagr. The team had met with Vincent Lecavalier on Saturday after Horton told them he would not re-sign with them, but ultimately Chiarelli decided to not further pursue Lecavalier for a number of reasons, one of which was that they want a “natural winger” and Lecavalier is a center who was willing to move to wing.

– Internal right wing options consist of Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Jordan Caron and Jared Knight. The Bruins qualified Caron this week, but the thought here is that they’ve just never given him a long enough look at the NHL level. If Caron starts the season in the lineup, they need to show their faith in him by playing him for at least 20 games so they can see what he can be at the NHL level. They gave Chris Bourque 18 games last year, so they can stand to play Caron and actually give him a fair chance.

– Chiarelli told Jagr on breakup day that the B’s wouldn’t be resigning him, but that was before Horton told them he was leaving. As such, Chiarelli said he has thought about “circling back” to Jagr, but said that after telling the veteran winger was moving on from him, he wouldn’t be surprised if Jagr has since moved on from the idea of returning to Boston.

– With limited cap space (even with Marc Savardon long-term injured reserve, a $7 million cap hit for Rask would leave the B’s with less than $2.2 million in space), Chiarelli admitted that he is also exploring the trade market, saying there are “a couple of trades” the B’s are considering.

– Chiarelli and other GMs can talk to impending free agents for the two days before free agency opens, but Chiarelli did not comment on who he’s met with. He was asked if he had met with Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson and declined comment, though he did say that he believes the Bruins are a “destination” for older players seeking a Stanley Cup. Alfredsson has not yet signed with the Senators and is 41, though the Senators could be a strong contender next year as well and have tons of cap space. Chiarelli and Alfredsson go back to Chiarelli’s days in Ottawa, so the right wing would be an attractive option for the B’s were he to leave the Senators.

Bruins forward Tyler Seguin was the target of some tough love from management over the weekend when Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli shopped him and then called him out for not being professional enough.Patrice Bergeron weighed in Tuesday and seemed to acknowledge that there’s room for improvement from the 21-year-old, but Bergeron had his teammate’s back more than anything.

“I didn’t read or see his comments, but I think Tyler is a young guy still,” Bergeron said. “He’s got a lot to learn, but at the same time, he’s improved a lot. At that stage, when you’re learning like that it’s going to happen. You need to make sure you learn from it though and find a way to get better. That’s the main thing with him. It’s just about him finding ways to battle through it and find ways and build some character out of it. He’s a terrific player, a terrific person and sometimes you need to have some lows to get back up and feel better and play better.”

That’s a lot nicer than what Chiarelli said Sunday at the draft.

‘He’s got to commit his mind and focus to the one task at hand,’ Chiarelli told reporters. ‘He’s got to become more of a professional. You know what? I can say that about a lot of 21-year-olds. I know he got criticized for playing on the periphery and all that stuff. He did. He’s got to commit to being a professional and focusing on the game. Simple as that. He does that, we don’t expect him to be crashing and banging. Just play your game.’

Seguin had just one goal in the playoffs and was demoted to the third line, but Bergeron went out of his way to compliment his linemate of the last two seasons.

“I thought he was really good, the way that he helped us,” Bergeron said of Seguin. “He found a way, even though he wasn’t scoring as much as he would have liked to, he was still battling hard and doing little details that you don’t always see on the scoresheet that goes a long way. That wasn’t gong unnoticed from us as players and as teammates. Like I said, he’s a terrific young player, so he’s going to learn.”

The interesting difference between the two isn’t the tone, but the content of the quotes. Bergeron says that Seguin was playing better than he looked, while the GM said that the criticisms that Seguin was being timid was warranted.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli didn’t tradeTyler Seguin during draft weekend, but it seems his patience is wearing thin with the young winger.

Chiarelli told reporters at the draft that Seguin’s commitment is an issue that needs fixing as he enters the first year of a six-year deal that will carry an annual cap hit of $5.75 million.

‘He’s got to commit his mind and focus to the one task at hand,’ Chiarelli told reporters. ‘He’s got to become more of a professional. You know what? I can say that about a lot of 21-year-olds. I know he got criticized for playing on the periphery and all that stuff. He did. He’s got to commit to being a professional and focusing on the game. Simple as that. He does that, we don’t expect him to be crashing and banging. Just play your game.’

According to Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe, Chiarelli is seeking “an elite young player or prospect” if he is to move Seguin. Chiarelli said that he hopes the public knowledge of the B’s discussing him in trade talk will motive Seguin to improve.

‘I hope it does,’ Chiarelli told reporters. ‘If it doesn’t, I’d be more concerned. We gave Tyler a big contract because he projects and he had good performance. I would expect that going forward.’

Seguin led the Bruins with 29 goals two seasons ago and was second on the team with 16 goals this past season. His regression from his second season to his third season was capped with a rather quiet postseason in which he totaled just one goal in 22 games and was demoted from the second line to the third line.

The only thing Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli felt certain of when it came to Patrice Bergeron Wednesday was that Bergeron was putting himself at some risk by playing with a broken rib and torn cartilage in Game 6 against Chicago.

Chiarelli confirmed that Bergeron, who also suffered a separated shoulder in the first period of Game 6, went to the hospital after the Blackhawks won the Cup and remained there for observation after it was determined that he had a small puncture in his lung.

Chiarelli said that Bergeron took a shot for the pain in his ribs before Game 6, “freezing” the area in pain.

“Of course he was at risk. Anytime anyone gets frozen up they’re at risk,” Chiarelli said. “Not for future injury, but from a pain perspective, and certainly he was at risk from the lung perspective, but it was a small puncture and he’s fine now.”

What was not clear from Chiarelli or Claude Julien on Wednesday is exactly when he suffered the puncture.

“There’s a freezing type of procedure, the nerve block, that Patrice opted to do so he could play in [Game 6], and at some point before or after the game, it could have been the cracked rib, there was a puncture in his lung,” Chiarelli said. “That’s why he was under observation following the game. It was a very small hole, and he’s fine. Patrice is fine. I don’t know when it happened.

“I don’t think he could have played if it happened during the game. I just, I don’t. I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think he could have played if it happened. He was aware of the risk going into it.”

Did Bergeron put his life at risk by playing?

“No, I don’t know exactly what had happened, but he couldn’t have played if it had happened during the game, so it may have happened after,” Chiarelli said. “We caught it and it was like he had a pain in his lung and we brought him to the hospital.”

It was Claude Julien who watched Bergeron closely from behind the bench throughout Game 6.

“If [punctured lung] had happened during the game, he wouldn’t have been able to recover as far as having that little puncture in his lung,” Julien said. “He wouldn’t have been able to recover, so the biggest speculation is that it didn’t happen during the game.”

“If it had happened during the game, he would have felt the pain and then he wouldn’t have been able to play, and the same thing, he would have been sent to the hospital and it would have been rectified,” Chiarelli said.